Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those
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Evolve Media.

* * *

To those who follow the professional wrestling industry closely,
the reaction to Colby
Covington’s recent statements about Brazil largely inspire
bemusement and incredulity. Covington is adopting in a not-
exactly-subtle manner the persona of a pro wrestling “heel” in an
attempt to make himself a bigger star. Like fellow Oregonian
Chael
Sonnen (Covington wrestled for Oregon State University while
Sonnen did the same for the University of Oregon) or
American Top Team mentor Dan Lambert, Covington has been
running down others to bring attention his way. He had a fight with
Demian
Maia in Sao Paulo, so Brazil made for an easy target.

What Covington said about Brazil was certainly rude, but there
didn’t appear to be sincerity to it. He was just donning the black
hat and being mean because he knew it would get a reaction and make
him more of a star. It would generate “heat,” or an angry reaction,
from Brazilians who would then be more invested in seeing one of
their Brazilian favorites defeat him. This is all pretty standard
stuff. Wrestlers -- and for that matter boxers and martial artists
-- have been doing these sorts of things for decades to sell
tickets. What has been most remarkable about the whole episode is
the reaction to it.

When Covington badmouthed Brazil after his win over Maia, it seemed
like a borderline-dangerous scene in the arena. Objects were hurled
at Covington, and the
Ultimate Fighting Championship distanced itself from the
welterweight. It got even worse in Australia, where Fabricio
Werdum threw a boomerang at Covington and allegedly punched
him. It’s understandable that a person would be protective of his
or her country, but it’s still striking to see anyone get so bent
out of shape over what amounts to trolling for professional
notoriety.

While this type of marketing is a longstanding pro wrestling
staple, the irony is it doesn’t really work in pro wrestling
anymore. For years, pro wrestling’s head honcho, Vince McMahon, has
struggled to connect with the desires of his fan base. Promoting
the wrong wrestlers in the wrong positions and telling subpar
stories, World Wrestling Entertainment has hemorrhaged fans for
over a decade. Unsatisfied by the stories being told, remaining
fans have taken to entertaining themselves and have become more
detached and ironic. Rather than losing themselves in the matches
like wrestling fans did in previous decades and MMA fans do today,
wrestling fans instead engage in self-aware chants congratulating
the wrestlers on the quality of their performance art.

Despite this atmosphere, pro wrestlers still try to generate “heat”
in similar ways to Covington. Wrestling villains will insult the
city in which they’re performing, the fans with whom they interact
and the beloved heroes against whom they’re matched. However, it
rarely generates much in the way of real anger. Oftentimes, fans
will just laugh if the heel is clever in the way he or she mocks
the audience. Sometimes the fans will boo, but it’s usually
half-hearted and never seems like a dangerous scene. Wrestling fans
just don’t buy in.

While there’s a lot of consternation within the MMA community about
Covington’s words and the reactions to them, in a number of senses
it’s an encouraging sign. In recent years, there has been much more
discussion about the business of MMA among fans and fighters. They
acknowledge that certain fights may be made because they’ll draw,
even though the more deserving fighters are being bypassed for
premier pay-per-view slots. Fighters have been encouraged to call
out other fighters in the media and to create personal issues to
generate interest. Fighters regularly acknowledge that other
fighters are just trying to stir up controversy and don’t take
seemingly harsh words personally.

Given this scene, it would be easy for fans and fighters to
maintain a cool distance from harsh words like Covington’s that are
used to sell fights. They could blow it off as harmless calculated
banter that doesn’t reflect how Covington truly feels, like pro
wrestling fans emotionally disconnected from even the most
villainous of scripted actions. The fact that instead there is
anger and controversy directed Covington’s way is in significant
measure a very good thing. It has made people care more about
Covington and shows in general that they are invested in MMA’s
feuds and competitive rivalries. That can be used to grow the
sport, not only by Covington but by others.

There are of course boundaries fighters can cross where controversy
becomes counterproductive. Genuine bigots don’t make a sport more
“fun.” Antics that go too far can turn off casual fans and give a
sport a bad reputation. Fans can also become desensitized, at which
point grudges lose their meaning and it’s harder to sell individual
fights. The anger directed at Covington suggests we’re a long way
from reaching that point. MMA fans still believe, and that’s an
important first step towards opening up their wallets.

Todd Martin has written about mixed martial arts since 2002 for
a variety of outlets, including CBSSports.com, SI.com, ESPN.com,
the Los Angeles Times, MMApayout.com, Fight Magazine and Fighting
Spirit Magazine. He has appeared on a number of radio stations,
including ESPN affiliates in New York and Washington, D.C., and
HDNet’s “Inside MMA” television show. In addition to his work at
Sherdog.com, he does a weekly podcast with Wade Keller at
PWTorch.com and blogs regularly at LaTimes.com. Todd received his
BA from Vassar College in 2003 and JD from UCLA School of Law in
2007 and is a licensed attorney. He has covered UFC, Pride,
Bellator, Affliction, IFL, WFA, Strikeforce, WEC and K-1 live
events. He believes deeply in the power of MMA to heal the world
and bring happiness to all of its people.